March for Science planned in Lewes April 22

On Earth Day 2017, Saturday, April 22, thousands of people are expected to descend on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., for the March for Science. 

The mission of the rally is to stress the importance of science on health, safety, economies and governments. 

In Lewes, a smaller group will assemble in Canalfront Park at 11 a.m., for a tamer affair. Lewes organizer Jonathan Sharp, a retired professor of oceanography at the University of Delaware, said local scientists, professors and elected officials will discuss the importance of science. 

Matt Oliver is an active professor at the University of Delaware’s School of Marine Science and Policy. He uses tools, including satellite imaging, to track climate change on a global scale, and he will discuss his work. 

Michael Krausz, a retired philosophy professor from Bryn Mawr College, will discuss the nature of scientific inquiry as being an objective, straightforward and rigid type of process. 

Joan Mansperger and Rick Grier-Reynolds are both instructors at Osher Lifelong Learning Center. Grier-Reynolds, a retired secondary school teacher and education consultant for the International Baccalaureate Program, will speak about climate change, policy and moral issues. Mansperger has taught a class on sea-level rise and will speak about the issue at the rally. 

The event will be emceed by Mayor Ted Becker. In 2015, Becker attended the New Hampshire Summit on Coastal Flooding, which gathered officials from coastal communities across the country to discuss growing concerns about sea-level rise. 

Sharp said the entire event should last 60 to 90 minutes. 

For more information, go to www.marchforscience.com.

Organizers went through Lewes Mayor and City Council in order to use an amplified speaker. The request was approved 4-1; however, Deputy Mayor Fred Beaufait voted against it because of the nature of the event. 

“I’m not overly excited about the park being used for political rallies,” he said. “That’s what this is. It’s very much a political rally.”

“You and I know why it’s there,” he told Sharp, hinting at President Donald Trump’s recent cuts to environmental sciences in his proposed budget. “And you and I know what’s going on, and it’s a political rally. You don’t have to say it, but it’s obvious.” 

Sharp said the event is in part a response to the president’s recent actions; however, the rally is not designed to be political or an attack on the president.  

“There is every effort to make it nonpartisan,” he said. 

Councilwoman Bonnie Osler said she doesn’t expect any issues. 

“If this were a rally for Earth Day, we wouldn’t be concerned about it,” she said. “I take Professor Sharp at his word that they’re going to talk about the importance of science and fact-based research being used in public policy, and I think that’s appropriate.” 

Sea-level rise expert coming to Lewes

On Friday, April 21, the day before the March for Science, the Lewes Mitigation Planning Team will host a presentation following a similar tone. Renowned climate scientist Astrid Caldas will visit the Lewes Public Library for a presentation at 1 p.m. The discussion will focus on rising tides, specifically the impacts on Lewes. Caldas works with the climate and energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. Her research focuses on climate change adaptation with practical policy implications for ecosystems, the economy and society. She blogs regularly for the Huffington Post. To learn more about Caldas, go to www.ucsusa.org/about/staff/staff/astrid-caldas.html.